April the giraffe is about to give birth at a New York zoo, but not everyone is happy about it even though tens of thousands are tuning in.
It’s the third day of a live stream for a giraffe that is scheduled to give birth on Saturday at a New York zoo, and not everything is rosy. Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville started streaming April the giraffe on Thursday as she prepared to give birth, and fans are anxiously waiting for the new arrival, but an animal rights activists group tried to stop the fun. The live feed is embedded below.
Animal rights activists got the video taken down by flagging it as “sexually explicit,” prompting a zoo official to slam the group on Facebook, saying “What this has done is pulled an educational tool away from tens of millions of individuals. … You have harmed the species’ survival more than you could ever recognize.”
The live stream was restored, and April’s fans have flooded in to watch, with tens of thousands watching at any one time on Saturday. The giraffe, when it is born, will weigh around 150 pounds and will stand about six feet tall.
“Upon naturally weaning, the calf will move on to another facility to start a breeding program there. We cannot retain offspring, as it would lead to incestuous mating and undermine the genetics of the program and species,” their website states. “Those “things” on their heads are called ossicones. Bulls (male giraffes) only really care about two things- fighting and the unmentionable…. Oliver may share space with April, but for short periods. Bulls take no part in rearing young. They eat hay and specialized giraffe diet but love romaine lettuce and carrot treats.”
